Gabrielle Giffords graces Tucson streetcar event

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, along with husband Mark Kelly, were surprise attendees attending the dedication of Tucson, Ariz.’s new maintenance and storage facility and arrival of the first streetcar Friday, Sept. 6 2013.

Giffords was cited by several speakers during early ceremonies as a key supporter of the Tucson streetcar project, now dubbed Sun Link, prior to her arrival, and credited with helping secure $63 million in federal funds for the 3.9-mile, $177 million line.

"She spent a lot of time in getting the Department of Transportation to approve it and appropriate the money to build this," Kelly told local media. "It's a big deal for the city."

Officials this week will be testing their first car, which arrived last week from United Streetcar, LLC’s Clackamas, Ore., facility.

Giffords survived a shooting incident at a constituents meeting in January 2011 that killed six and wounded 12 others, but subsequently stepped down from congressional office a year later.